The Valley News began in 1947 as The Rural News, a weekly publication founded by Colson and Beatrice Carr out of their home north of Granby Center. It grew quickly and was renamed in 1948 to the Oswego Valley Rural News based on its new distribution areas. By 1951 they had moved from a stapled 9” x 12” format to a full tabloid size newspaper thanks to a new press. In 1957, it moved to a twice weekly publication but that only lasted a couple years due to increasing postal rates for city delivery. In 1972, the Carrs sold to the paper to their long time newsman and editor, Vince Caravan and by 1978 the publication moved to a twice weekly schedule again...this time it stuck. In 1982, the name was shortened to The Valley News…solidifying it as the greater Fulton area’s primary news resource. In 2010, the Caravans sold The Valley News to Scotsman Media.

In late June 2014, then-Valley News owner Scotsman Media Group — a commercial printing and Pennysaver publisher based out of Syracuse — announced that it would be ceasing operations at its Syracuse and Chenango Bridge printing plants and laying off about 90 employees.

In August of 2014, about six years after its purchase of The Pall-Times, Sample News Group acquired The Valley News from Scotsman Media and solidified its future as Fulton’s community newspaper. Ironically, Sample always had a desire to purchase The Valley News, making an offer in 2010 and a decade before that. But in 2014, it all fell into place.

The Valley News is mailed to area subscribers each Wednesday and Saturday. Additionally, The Valley News produces more than 20 local special sections and supplements each year designed to meet the needs of our readers and business community.